Transcript Chapter_13__1940s_files/War in Europe

The Road to Victory:
Defeating Germany, Japan and Italy-the
Axis Powers
The Leaders of Germany and Japan:
Hitler and Tojo
Germany First
• FDR and British Prime
Minister Winston
Churchill agreed that the
allies should focus their
efforts on defeating
Germany first - which
they viewed as a greater
threat. Forces in the
Pacific would do their best
to regain territory captured
by the Japanese.
Operation Torch
• In 1942, American and
British forces attacked
German occupied
territory in North
Africa. By 1943, all
German forces were
driven from the
continent.
Soviets want a Second Front
• Soviet leader Joseph
Stalin pressed the FDR
and Churchill to invade
Western Europe next. He
believed it would force
Hitler to take soldiers out
of the USSR. The Soviets
has suffered terribly from
the German invasion eventually losing 22
million people.
The Big 3 - Stalin, FDR, Churchill
War in the USSR
The “soft underbelly” of Europe
• Instead Churchill
convinced FDR to
Invade Italy next. He
believed it would be
less risky than a cross
channel invasion of
France. German
resistance proves to be
tougher than expected.
Air war over Europe
• To further soften up
the Germans. The
Allies launch massive
bombing raids on
Germany. The
Americans by day and
the British by night.
They hope to destroy
factories, railroads,
and fuel refineries.
The Mighty 8th Air Force
• American bombers
were part of the 8th
airforce. They flew B17 and B-24 bombers.
Many were shot down,
until fighters were
developed to escort the
bombers over Europe
Germany in Ruins
Invasion of France
• In 1944, the Allies
planned a cross channel
invasion of France Operation Overlord.
• On June 6, 1944 - D-Day American, Canadian, and
British shores hit the
beaches of Normandy.
• American General Dwight
D. Eisenhower led the
invasion.
Bloody Omaha Beach
The Drive to Germany
• By the end of 1944, Allied
forces had pushed across
France to the German
border. Around Christmas,
Hitler ordered once last
offensive to try and stop
the allies. This became
known as the Battle of the
Bulge. The Germans were
defeated and the allies
pushed in Germany.
Hitler Commits Suicide
• By the end of April 1945,
the Allies have occupied
much of Germany. Soviet
forces are in Berlin.
• After marrying his
mistress Eva Braun, Hitler
kills himself in his
underground bunker and
orders his body burned.
V-E Day May 8, 1945
• Using children as
soldiers, and helpless
to stop Allied attacks,
the new German
leader, Admiral
Doentiz, surrenders to
the Allies.
V-E Celebrations
The Turning Point in the Pacific
• After Pearl Harbor,
Japanese conquered a
vast area of the Pacific
and threatened to
invade Australia and
India.
• After the Battle of
Midway - June 1942things began to badly
for them
Island Hopping
• To defeat the Japanese,
American forces use a
strategy called “island
hopping”. Invading
islands that are closer and
closer to the Japanese
mainland.
• Islands near Japan could
then be used for bomber
bases or staging areas for
the invasion of Japan.
American Commanders in the Pacific:
General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz
Iwo Jima and Okinawa
• By the Spring of 1945,
American forces were
nearing Japan and
Japanese resistance
became even more
intense.
• Nearly 20,000 American
soldiers were killed in
these battles.
• Japanese deaths
approached 150,000
Kamikaze Attacks
• During the battle of
Okinawa, the Japanese
began to use
widespread kamikaze
attacks for the first.
• Planes heavily loaded
with explosives
crashed in to
American ships
The Atomic Bomb
• The ferocity of Japanese
resistance and the
kamikaze attacks
convinced American
leaders that casualties
would approach 1 million
if the US invaded Japan.
• At Potsdam, Truman
warned the Japanese of
new super weapon and
threatened destruction
unless they surrendered.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Two cities struck by A-Bombs
V-J DAY
• On April 15, 1945 the
Japanese Emperor
Hirohito surrendered.
• The surrender took
place on the deck of
the USS Missouri
• MacArthur was placed
in charge of the
occupation
A Lasting Peace?
• Shortly before the end of
the war the United Nations
Charter was signed in San
Francisco
• The UN was created to
prevent wars like WWII
from happening again
• German war criminals
were put on trial at
Nuremberg. Japanese
leaders were tried too.